By Hurricanes Helene and Milton have now passed, leaving trails of destruction. Some politicians are using the disasters as a political football, focusing particularly on the funding of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). But the debate over FEMA is somewhat misplaced.
FEMA is the lead federal agency for natural disaster response, but the American system of disaster response is not a top-down structure imposed by Washington. Rather, two core principles in disaster response are federalism and mutual aid between states, cities, utilities, and other private entities. In other words, we have a decentralized and horizontal response system.
State, local, and private groups play the main role in disaster response. As the Congressional Research Service noted, “The United States takes a ‘bottom up’ approach to both managing and providing assistance during a disaster.” State and local governments employ 1.3 million people in police and fire departments, for example, and those first responders are spread across the nation.
State governors are crucial. They have wide-ranging responsibilities and powers during disasters, such as the power to order evacuations. The states have standing agreements for mutual aid. For example, search and rescue teams from across the nation come to the aid of disaster-struck areas. Teams from Virginia and Maryland arrived in Florida even before Helene made landfall. Colorado sent helicopters, K9s, and other first responder assets and personnel. Pennsylvania sent emergency management workers and a helicopter rescue team.
The National Guard under state command plays a crucial role during disasters, and more than 6,000 guardsmen have arrived to help in the Southeast. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, 50,000 guardsmen from virtually every state provided services such as medical care, law enforcement, and debris removal.
Most of the nation’s critical infrastructure—such as utility infrastructure—is owned by the private sector, not by governments. Electric utilities have standing agreements for mutual aid, and we always see a rapid response of crews from many states aiding disaster areas. Within a day of Helene hitting North Carolina, crews were arriving from utilities in the Northeast. Crews from Kentucky arrived in Florida on Tuesday.
Looking at US history, disasters have always generated large outpourings of aid from individuals, businesses, churches, and charitable groups. The American Red Cross plays a huge role, providing food, water, and temporary shelter after disasters. The media and social media are reporting many private aid efforts in North Carolina and Florida. Elon Musk has “sent more than 10,000 Starlink terminals to North Carolina and other areas impacted by Helene,” and he has teamed with T‑Mobile to provide emergency texting. Walmart and Home Depot are delivering truckloads of food and supplies, and Taylor Swift donated $5 million.
The federal role should be to offer its unique assets and capabilities to disaster-struck areas. The Coast Guard’s search and rescue operations are vital after hurricanes. The US Army is supplying assets to aid the Helene and Milton efforts, and the Air Force is flying search and rescue missions.
FEMA distributes emergency aid to individuals after disasters and has sent water, meals, tarps, and generators to the areas hit by Helene and Milton. This function is important, although it overlaps the activities of the states and private sector. Much of FEMA’s budget goes toward rebuilding after disasters, but the states should handle those costs.
FEMA’s disaster response has been known for bureaucracy that slows the relief efforts of businesses, charities, and individuals. The agency’s blocking of private aid efforts after Katrina was appalling. With Helene, social media posts have criticized FEMA’s efforts, but I don’t know the veracity of these claims.
Presidents usually visit disaster-hit areas to appear to be in charge, and news reports often imply the same. However, the states are actually in the driver’s seat. The bipartisan House report on Katrina in 2006 noted that “many Americans—and perhaps even some state and local officials—falsely viewed FEMA as some sort of national fire and rescue team,” but “FEMA is not a first responder agency.” Instead, FEMA mainly provides funding for relief and rebuilding.
News reports are discussing whether or not FEMA has enough money and employees on the ground in the Southeast. But the important thing is to ensure that FEMA is supporting and not hampering the states, businesses, charitable groups, and individuals in aiding communities after these two awful storms.
See “The Federal Emergency Management Agency: Floods, Failures, and Federalism” at Downsizing the Federal Government for more on FEMA and natural disasters.
